Published Works of Jaquelyn E. P. Burton

The following is a list of my published works that are not on my blog here or on the blog of Coeval, Inc.

Articles:

“Some have blamed ships for contributing to this herculean plastic problem. Ships have been prohibited from disposing of any and all forms of plastics at sea since 1988. There is some evidence that some ships have disposed of plastics at sea against the regulations that were in place at the time and still are. However, increasing legislation does not stop the unscrupulous from illegal dumping – it didn’t then and doesn’t now.”-

The errors in judgment and decision making have been sighted as a contributing and a primary factor in many maritime incidents and accidents. More problematic than fatigue itself is the culture that Mariners have built around fatigue being a badge of courage.

This desire to work in great teams, where members are valued and working together has the younger members of the workforce looking for more than a steady paycheck. They want to work with great leaders and be part of great teams; and who wouldn’t? After all great teams accomplish great things – this is applicable everywhere, from families and sports to tankers and space shuttles. Ships should be manned by great teams. They are out at sea regardless; they might as well enjoy working with their shipmates and make their ship the best it can be. –

ECDIS is becoming ubiquitous – and that is a good thing. However, as we move towards more and more vessels relying wholly on ECDIS and heavily on its integration with GPS, some new problems are of growing concern. At a time of an ever-increasing amount of automation, the U.S. Navy is going back to teaching celestial navigation after an extended period of its absence – also a good thing. But as was brought up in a discussion with former colleges – what good is a sextant if you have a double ECDIS failure?

As mariners, we experience “months of boredom interspersed with moments of sheer terror.” Most of the time everything goes fine – our training is for those other moments. The moments that can happen to any of us, the ones that stand between us and disaster.

This is why training needs to include challenges, games, experimentation, and discussion… as opposed to a lecture and multiple choice question format.

The thing with Navigation Warnings is – are you sure that you have received all of the ones you might need? There are times when as an officer of the watch you receive a NAVTEX message that is corrupted or unreadable. When you have a message come in where the only thing that you can’t read about a firing exercise zone is it’s location. –

Why with all the requirements, regulations, and best practices in place do so many mariners die needlessly each year – under completely preventable circumstances? Take for example enclosed spaces. Why do so many mariners still die in enclosed spaces? With training requirements in place for more than 40 years, the deaths still continue. –

So much of our time in the maritime industry – both afloat and ashore is devoted to planning. But, how much planning is the right amount – Does such a thing exist? Many times as accident investigations can attest, planning either wasn’t done or was failed to be effectively communicated to the people who were tasked with executing it. –

Jaquelyn E. P. Burton

Ebooks:

The deck department; We are The Captain, The Chief Mate, The Navigators, The Safety Officers, The Medical Officers, The Bosun, The Able Seamen, and the Ordinary Seaman – We load the ship, chart the course, moor the vessel, set the anchors, keep the records, maintain the safety equipment, and maintain the vessels spaces and tanks. –

The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 – when followed are our best strategies for avoiding catastrophic maritime collisions that can result in loss of life, damage to the environment, and loss and damage to ships and equipment.

Most professional mariners ensure that they follow the regulations, as do a few recreational boaters.

Some mariners, however, put the rest of us in danger. Those that don’t know the regulations, those who don’t give way when they are required to, those who delay their action, those who fail to use their proper lights and signals. –

YAY, yet another type approved standard useless 24-inch display. What sounded like an enormous useful screen when the standards were written – is now pitiful and inefficient.

Designed by people who have never sailed. Sure it’s higher resolution but it is still a 24-inch display. When will they make an interactive chart table, with an intuitive interface where you can navigate on them? I worked on ECDIS compiled ships for six years, and as great as ECDIS could be it doesn’t live up to its potential.

The technology available on Ipad is better in many ways to the commercial ECDIS. At least you can change the resolution and hook it up to a big screen tv. So you can see more area while keeping the detail. –

I believe that sometimes governmental agencies and the various maritime companies are more concerned with their perceived stewardship of the environment. Rather than the true maintenance of the ships and the education of the crews and creating a real maritime culture that would achieve the stewardship that is so coveted. The safety culture and environmental awareness that is talked about by governmental agencies, in conferences, and within the management of maritime companies does not and won’t be created at that level. –